Shopping & Services

The holidays can be extremely busy times. When making your master family Holiday calendar, consider which events are “Must attends” like your daughter’s band concert, which are “Would be nice to attend” like the town Christmas parade and which are “I would rather have a root canal than attend” like your neighbor’s annual open house. If there are events that you can edit out of your schedule with gentle excuses, you will make the holidays more about spending time with the people you love doing things you love to do.

Want to score huge deals this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Well you're not alone, and you can bet that whatever stores you're planning on hitting will be filled with like-minded shoppers. It's a war zone out there, and if you want to emerge victorious you'll need to use the ultimate bargain-finding secret weapon: your beloved smartphone and a suite of powerful apps that will leave your bank account healthy and your Christmas list conquered.

Sure, there are a few catches — and most require proof of military service. (You need to check company websites for the fine print.) But if you're a vet or active military, you might plan out a Freebie Monday that goes something like this:

• You wake up hungry.Head over to Denny's for all-you-can-eat stacks of buttermilk pancakes. But you've got to pay up for anything else you get.

•You're feeling scruffy. Great Clips has you covered. Vets can walk in on Monday — with no appointment — and get free haircuts. If you don't have the time Monday, or just got a buzz cut, you can still snatch a rain check for a freebie haircut.

Fling those excuses. I’m waiting for the right time to reorganize my closet. I can’t do my taxes because I hate doing my taxes. Take the project, break it down into small do-able steps and then schedule those steps on your calendar. Take it one step at a time and get through it! If you need help, ask for it.

Gather all of your DVDs into one spot. Fling any that you don’t love or that you really don’t want watch again. If you’ve bought the movies recently, you may be eligible for a digital copy that will allow you to get rid of the disk and case, or at least keep them in an out of the way place like a high closet shelf. Libraries love to get DVDs to add to their collection or to sell in their used book sales. So fling away!

Our Cotton Pickin' Christmas Tree Farm, Hawkinsville. Check their Facebook page for updates.Pick your own pumpkin from the patch. Also enjoy cider or cocoa on the porch while the kids climb the hay mountain. Open 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.